Downloading Biceps

Pumping up your biceps: an effective exercise for muscle development

Dumbbell curls are one of the most effective exercises for developing biceps. They allow you to effectively load your muscles and achieve the desired results. Despite this, many bodybuilders do not use this technique in their training, which is a mistake.

Performing the exercise

To curl your arms with dumbbells, you need to stand shoulder-width apart, with your arms fully straightened and down. Dumbbells are held in your hands, palms turned inward, knuckles turned outward. Start the movement by inhaling and hold your breath. The arm begins to move upward, bending at the elbow. When the forearm becomes parallel to the floor (elbow bent 90 degrees), the palm rotates upward while the arm continues to bend. The movement continues until the upper limit point.

As you exhale, the dumbbells slowly lower down, the palms are turned up to the middle of the trajectory, then they turn down. Maintaining this position, the arms are fully extended and the dumbbells are in their original position next to the hips.

Work of muscles and joints

When performing the exercise, there is a bend in the elbow joint with a simultaneous rotation of the hand outward (supination). The forearm moves in front of the shoulder and when the elbow bends 90 degrees, the palm turns upward and remains in this position until the end of the dumbbell lift.

Main muscles - participants in the movement

When performing the exercise, the biceps brachii muscle (biceps), brachialis muscle (brachialis), brachioradialis muscle, flexor teres muscle, and, sometimes, flexor carpi radialis muscle are worked. The biceps is divided into two heads - long and short. This division is clearly visible in bodybuilders with well-developed, sculpted biceps. The brachialis muscle is located between the biceps and the humerus near the elbow joint. The brachioradialis muscle, located on the upper outer part of the forearm, forms a circular surface between the elbow and the top of the wrist. When the load is significant, these muscles are helped by the flexor teres.

Comments

To make the movement more effective, the shoulder should be parallel to the body. Once the elbow is locked, you can use heavier dumbbells to increase the load on the muscles. However, it should be remembered that the maximum weight must be selected in such a way as to maintain the correct technique for performing the exercise and avoid possible injuries.

It is also worth considering that dumbbell curls are not a universal exercise and do not cover all arm muscles. To fully train your arms, you need to include exercises for other muscle groups in the program, for example, triceps and forearms.

Finally, don't forget about proper nutrition and rest. In order for muscles to grow and develop, it is necessary to provide them with sufficient amounts of protein and other nutrients, as well as give them time to recover after training.